Breathe

Settings

Applies to every session. Stored on this device only.

Sound

You should hear a rising tone, “breathe in”, then two pips. If you hear the tone and pips but no voice, your device has no speech voice installed — the beat will still count for you.

Display
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Movement

We follow your device’s “reduce motion” setting automatically the first time you visit.

Counting

The number on screen and the spoken count always match.

Access

Slide right to make every phase longer, left to make it shorter. Ratios stay the same.

Coherent Breathing

The pace most adults settle into. 5.5 seconds in, 5.5 out.

Beginner5.5 breaths / minAlso called Resonance breathing, 5.5 breaths per minute

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The pattern

  1. Breathe in5.5 seconds
  2. Breathe out5.5 seconds

What "resonance" means

Your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing all oscillate. For most adults, those oscillations line up most strongly somewhere between five and six breaths a minute. Breathe at that pace and the swings in heart rate get large and smooth — a state usually described as cardiorespiratory resonance.

That is why 5.5 breaths a minute keeps appearing: it is the average resonance frequency of an adult. It is also, not coincidentally, close to the pace of a rosary, a mantra, and a slow lullaby.

The one to build a habit around

If you only ever use one technique on this site, make it this one. It has no breath-holding, no fast breathing, and no contraindications worth worrying about, so it can be practised daily and for long stretches.

Most protocols in the research use ten to twenty minutes a day. Five minutes is still worth doing.

Finding your own pace

Individual resonance frequency varies, roughly between 4.5 and 6.5 breaths a minute, and taller people tend to sit at the slower end. Try 5.5 first; if it feels rushed, use the pace control to slow it down, and if you feel short of air, speed it up slightly. The right pace feels boring, not challenging.

How to do it without the app

  1. Sit comfortably or lie down.
  2. Breathe in gently through the nose for about 5.5 seconds.
  3. Breathe out through the nose for about 5.5 seconds, with no pause between.
  4. Keep the breath quiet and unforced.
  5. Continue for 5 to 20 minutes.

Safety

  • No breath-holding, so this is suitable for most people including during pregnancy.
  • If you feel short of air, speed the pace up slightly rather than pushing through.

What the evidence says

Resonance-frequency breathing is the best-supported technique here. Randomised trials and meta-analyses report improvements in heart rate variability, blood pressure and self-reported anxiety, with the clearest results when practised daily over several weeks.

A plain-English summary for a general audience, not a systematic review. See the medical disclaimer.

Start 5-minute session
Related

If this one doesn’t suit you

Belly Breathing

The foundation. Four seconds in, six seconds out.

6 breaths / min

Box Breathing

Four equal sides, and nobody at the next desk can tell you are doing it.

3.75 breaths / min

Extended Exhale

In for four, out for six. The simplest version of the longer-exhale idea.

6 breaths / min